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Jason Armstrong
Jason Armstrong (callsign Maverick) was a pilot on board the . He was the writer of one of three major biographies of the Kilrathi War, the others written by Carl T. LaFong, and another by Todd Marshall.Star*Soldier, pg 27 It is unlikely that Christopher Blair's memoir would ever be published. Armstrong is noted for having flown in four man Wings for some of his missions on the Claw (when most are assigned to two man missions). Background Jason was another rising star in the Academy who also served on the TCS Formidable. Jason was replacement for Mike "Ranger" who was shot down in the Enyo System near the beginning of the Vega Campaign. Jason was brought on board at some point via a transport shuttle. The shuttle pilot introduced him to the Tiger's Claw, the pride of the Terran fleet. He was told he was lucky to be serving his tour of duty upon her.First Cutscene Enyo Series He served through many of the same theatres of conflict that Christopher Blair and Carl T. LaFong did. Following his first mission on board the Claw in Enyo with Spirit, he was told by Shotglass to speak to Maniac as he apparently had rumors of a new Kilrathi secret weapon (but to be careful as Maniac was prone to exaggeration). Maniac and hunter were at a table discussing the topic. Maniac told Armstrong rumors he had heard of the Kilrathi possibly having stealth technology. He heard rumors that Admiral Tolwyn and Halcyon were arguing over the existence of the technology. Halcyon believed the Kilrathi were very close, and the Admiral believed it was all just a crock. Maniac didn't know, but he believed they would know eventually. On his first mission in McAulliffe, Armstrong is assigned Taggart. Iceman is assigned a mission with Angel. During the briefing Halcyon comments that any discussion about stealth fighters is classified, and anyone caught discussing it will be subject to military discipline.SWC, McAulliffe 1 In Gimle, Armstrong attempted to defend the TCS Exeter a Bengal-class Strike Carrier from three Krants, saving Commander Boeckeler. He also defended the TCS Vindicator as it prepared an attack on a base in Brimstone protecting Commander O'Brien. Following the destruction of the Kilrathi Base in the Venice System. After some time passed, Halcyon reassigned Armstrong again. Armstrong was worried he had done something wrong, however he was reassured that it was just a matter of attrition to shift personal around to keep maximum number of fighters active (as the ship lost ships and pilots from various squadrons). Following that Strike Force Delta prepared to jump. After several jumps they landed in the Goddard system for the start of Operation Thor's Hammer. In 2655, Armstrong was involved in a mission to take out the shipyards where the Sivar was built. The missions passed through,the Border Zone, Tartarus, Cairo, Anchorage, and Jakarta. At Tartarus he helped with the defection of Ralgha nar Hhallas. At Cairo he learned of the presumed death of Kien Chen who was to have a funeral as soon as his wife arrived (however Kien Chen would return later for the Firekka Campaign. The Tiger’s Claw again travels behind enemy lines, this time as part of a battle group charged with destroying the laboratories and shipyards which produced the Sivar weapon. Using captured enemy fighters to sneak behind fortified enemy lines, the carrier’s pilots cripple the Kilrathi bases in the Jakarta System.Star*Soldier, p43,44 He apparently survived the destruction of the Tiger's Claw at K'tithrak Mang, but its unknown his actions following that event, his likely eventual retirement. Jason Armstrong would later go on to write his own autobiography in the form of an holo-vid of his time on the Tiger's Claw and elsewhere in the war which was called Super Wing Commander. It was one of three major memoirs, the other written by Carl T. LaFong, and another by Todd Marshall.Star*Soldier, pg 27 It is unlikely that Christopher Blair's memoir would ever be published. It's worth noting that Jason Armstrong may have started using the Maverick Callsign around the same time that Blair started calling himself Pilgrim (which would have avoided some of the potential confusion). Behind the scenes Armstrong was a character introduced in Super Wing Commander he the equivalent playable character to Christopher Blair (Maverick) in The Kilrathi Saga, Carl T. LaFong in the WC I & II guide, and Lyle Starbuck in Sega MegaCD version of Wing Commander ("Hotshot" in the Sega CD version). Wing Commander Arena's documentation Star*Soldier made him a separate character in the war from both LaFong and Blair. Super Wing Commander is more or less a retelling of Wing Commander 1 with some plots changed, alternate backstories and additional material (and totally new artwork, and ship designs). Some of the changes include Maniac and Hunter appearing in the Rec Room before the second mission instead of hunter and spirit to foreshadow the Kilrathi stealth technology, and Shotglass mentioning the rumors as well. This side story continues into the McAulliffe campaign as Halcyon makes reference to the rumors (this side story does not appear if the player takes the Gateway path; and may only appear if the player takes the pure winning path through the game). The first four main story cutscenes in the game (two for win and two for lose) appear in Gimle and Brimstone respectively, and thus are not all accessible through a single play through (it's possible to see two if a loss occurs at Gimle). These cutscenes at Gimle concern the loss or save of the TCS Exeter (II) and at brimstone, the destruction of the TCS Vindicator or the destruction of a kilrathi base. There is an additional cutscene at Brimstone of a kilrathi Baron Gorkath (sp?) testing a cloak on a Lumbari transport ship, and flying to some planet. The game may have originally taken place in a parallel universe to the main series, although Star*Soldier does acknowledge his 'canonical' existence, and that he made his own 'memoir', a nod to Super Wing Commander. :“The sheer exhilaration with which Marshall tells his war stories gives his book a leg up on the likes of Armstrong and LaFong.” —Michael GallagherStar*Soldier, pg 27 According to the writers and authors of Star*Soldier; :"Armstrong and LaFong" - I love this joke and I get the feeling everyone else hates it. Armstrong and LaFong were alternate names for Blair, used in Super Wing Commander and the Wing Commander I & II Ultimate Strategy Guide respectively. This is actually addressing a real book, since the conceit of that latter guide is that now-octogenerian LaFong has written his memoirs and you're reading them. Sorta contradicts Blair's death, too, if they're the same character... The Sivar Shipyard campaign takes place chronologically after Secret Missions I, and before or concurrent with Secret Mission 2. It covers similar details to SM2 including Hobbes defection, Bossman's death, Paladin's retirement, Spirit's fiancee's capture, and other details from SM2, but told in slightly different way. Star*Soldier also treats Secret Missions 1.5 as having been an actual event (but mostly only focuses on the destruction of the shipyard). Wing Commander: Freedom Flight and The Kilrathi Saga gives a different account of defection of Hobbes where Ian St. James was involved. The Wing Comander 1 & 2 Ultimate Guide and Secret Missions 2 tells it as if Bluehair/Carl T. LaFong is involved with the defection. Wing Commander 3 novel mentions that the TCS Tiger's Claw was involved (much as is the case in Secret Missions 1.5 and Secret Missions 2), see Chapter 1. Blair was but a 'jr. lietenant at the time, wearing polish still on his flight wings. Armstrong is likely a reference to Neil Armstrong. Armstrong has been used in other names the name of a shuttle in WC3, and the Armstrong system in the Hubble quadrant. Mission differences Some of the missions in Super Wing Commander have less enemy ships than in the original game. Sometimes ARMSTRONG leads four ships instead of two on some missions as well (the above summaries will attempt to point out when that is the case). Name This character's full name as given "Jason Armstrong" is actually somewhat of a mystery. It is unknown of it "Jason" is actually official or not. The name "Jason Armstrong" appears on a number of lists including the Wing Commander CIC own encyclopedia, and other gaming sites.http://www.wcnews.com/wcpedia/Christopher_Blair But the name Jason does not appear to have been mentioned in the game manual or in the game itself. No one seems to know when he was given the name "Jason". However, as ther entire script for Super Wing Commander hasn't been released, it can't be confirmed or not if its just an obscure reference made in the game itself. References Category:Terrans Category:Tiger's Claw personnel Category:Terran Confederation pilots Category:Characters (SWC) Category:Tiger's Claw survivor Category:Super Wing Commander Category:Characters (SM1.5) Category:Characters (Star*Soldier)